H-1B : Workers returned to India for visa renewal, now they are stuck amid cancellation of appointments

THE holiday season has turned into a period of deep uncertainty for hundreds of Indian H-1B visa holders who find themselves stranded in India after US consular offices abruptly cancelled their renewal appointments.

These workers, many of whom have built lives in the United States over decades, travelled back to India this month to renew their American work permits, only to be met with emails citing “operational constraints” and a need for more rigorous national security vetting.

According to The Washington Post, the sudden shift in US policy has led to the cancellation of visa appointments for hundreds, possibly thousands, of high-skilled workers between 15 and 26 December. Immigration lawyers said the abrupt cancellations have disrupted lives, leaving workers on expired visas fearful of losing their jobs.

Emily Neumann, a partner at the Houston-based immigration firm Reddy Neumann Brown PC told The Washington Post that at least 100 of her clients are stuck in India.

What policy shift caused this sudden disruption?

The disruption follows a series of aggressive policy shifts by the Trump administration aimed at targeting the H-1B program.

In July, the US State Department said that starting September 2, H-1B holders, and their dependents on H4 visas could no longer renew their visas remotely or in a third country, Instead, they would have to travel back to their home countries to complete the process.

Then, on September 19, President Trump signed a proclamation imposing a $100,000 fee for new H-1B applications.

Two months later, on 3 December, the Trump administration announced tougher screening and vetting rules for H-1B and H4 dependent visa holders, including a review of their social media and online activity. The the State Department said the move was aimed at national security, adding that every visa decision is treated as a security matter and that a US visa is “privilege, not a right.”

When are the renewal appointments rescheduled?

Meanwhile, the bulk of the renewal appointments are now being pushed to between March and June, though one applicant was given a new date as late as 2027, said three lawyers aware of the matter.

The H-1B immigration program, which has allowed hundreds of thousands of foreign workers with specialised skills to live and work in the United States for up to six years, has been a source of controversy during Trump’s second term.

Some of his most influential far-right supporters have called for the program to be scrapped, arguing it takes away job opportunities from Americans. But tech executives in Silicon Valley have pushed back, saying H-1B workers are crucial for their industry, WP reported.

Who were the worst hit?

The hardest hit by the changes are mid-career tech professionals who have lived in the United States for years. Now unable to return, they are urgently trying to find alternative work arrangements with their US companies.

Families are facing painful choices: some parents who came to India with their children must decide whether to pause their schooling or send them back alone, while others remain separated from their families entirely.

India has long been the biggest beneficiary of the H-1B program, accounting for 71% of visa holders, according to an April 2025 report from US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). As of September, Amazon, Meta and Microsoft were the three largest sponsors of H-1B workers.